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Preamble

Turkish Student Association does hereby establish this referred Constitution in order that our purpose be realized to its fullest extent.

ARTICLE I. Name

The name of the organization will be Turkish Student Association, henceforth referred to as TSA.

ARTICLE II. Purpose

Section 1. The purpose of the Turkish Student Association shall be:
-To unite Turkish students, Turkish Community in Knoxville and those interested in Turkish culture;
-To orient incoming Turkish students, Turkish Community in Knoxville to the university environment and assist them in their effort to adjust to the new community (i.e. housing and commuting information, airport pickup, etc.).
-To facilitate social and intellectual interaction between members.
-To function as representatives of Turkey to students, Turkish Community in Knoxville , faculty and staff of The University of Tennessee .
- To function as a formal body for the purpose of information exchange receiving current news, developments and various other information from Turkey .

ARTICLE III. Membership and Dues

- Membership in the Turkish Student Association shall be open to all Turkish students, Turkish Community in Knoxville and those interested in Turkish culture.
- Full members shall be eligible to vote for officers while associate members not.
- Membership shall be maintained by the payment of dues, which are established by the executive committee. Dues will be $10 per full member, no fee for the associate member and additional family members, per semester.

ARTICLE IV. Officers

Section 1. The officers of the organization shall consist of a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.
Section 2. Duties and Powers:
- The duties of the president shall be, to preside at all meetings, to call special meetings, to appoint committees and decide the prospective executive committee.
- The duties of secretary shall be, to keep an accurate, permanent record of minutes and proceedings of the organization, to take charge of all correspondence and to make necessary reports to keep all members informed about activities.
- The duties of the treasurer shall be, to keep an accurate and complete record of all monetary transactions, and to collect club dues and to present the books to the term of office, faculty advisor of the TSA for audit at the end of the term. The treasurer must disburse fund money in accordance with the regulations of the university.
Section 3. Election of Officers:
- Election of officers shall be held once in a year (actual date to be decided by president). The term of office shall be for a year following election.
- Candidacy for officers shall be refererred full members by executive committee.
- Voting shall be by ballot.
- A majority of 3/4 of all votes cast shall be necessary for election.
- Changes of officers shall be notified to The University of Tennessee
- There are no academic requirements to hold office.

Article V - Faculty/Staff Advisor/Consultant

Section 1. The advisor shall be selected from among the full-time university faculty or staff.

ARTICLE VI. Meetings

Section 1. The Turkish Student Association shall meet once a month and the meetings are open to Full members only. Additional meetings shall be will be decided by officers.

ARTICLE VII. Quorum

Section 1. The four elected officers shall constitute a quorum to transact business, as decided by organization. In case all the officers are not present, a majority of the officers shall be eligible to transact business.

ARTICLE VIII. Amendment

Section 1. Proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing and read at a regular meeting and shall be acted upon at the following meeting.
Section 2. This constitution may be amended by a majority vote of those members at the meeting.

ARTICLE IX. Ratification

Section 1. A majority of those present at the first meeting of the Turkish Student Association shall be necessary to ratify this constitution.

BY -LAWS
1. LEGAL STATUS APPLICABLE TO THE ORGANIZATION:

- This organization shall not be involved in any politics directly or indirectly.
- This organization shall not belong to any religious denominations.
- This organization will not engage in activities excluded in the Internal Revenue Code (1954), Article 501, Section C, Paragraph 3 and pertaining to tax exempt organizations and article 170 (C.2) of the same code pertaining to tax exempt organizations.

Section 1. Every student of The University of Tennessee who accepts the goals of the organization is eligible to become a member. Interested individuals will so advise the board of trustees via an application form. The board of trustees reserves the right to honor or deny this application. In the event of denial the board of trustees is not required to show cause for such denial.

Section 2. The organization may have three categories of membership: Full member, associate member and honorary member. Full members pay regularly every semester membership due. The right to vote and to be elected is reserved for full members. Individuals who have given their moral support to the organization may be elected as associate or honorary members and participate at the committees by resolution by the board of trustees.

Section 3. Membership is terminated through resignation, death, or expulsion.

Section 4. Full members acting contrary to the interests of the organization will be referred to the board of trustees. This body following its own investigation will decide to retain or expel that member. Members who fail to pay their dues after reminders cannot vote. Failure to pay dues beyond two years results in termination of membership. Such individuals retain the right to reapply for membership. The application is processed in the same manner as first- time applications.

General Assembly : This body is composed of all the members of the organization. It meets when the board of trustees announces date and place. Full members of this body have the right to vote on issue to recommend to the board of trustees. They have to have majority vote of the present members at the time of the meeting. The board has the right to accept or reject their recommendations. Every member has the right to bring any topics to meetings to discuss.

The Board of Trustees: This board shall be responsible for the following:
- Its board of trustees shall manage the activities of this organization.
- The number of trustees of this organization shall be four, which consist of a president, a vice-president, a treasurer and a secretary. In no event shall the number of trustees be less than three. The trustees shall not be paid for their services in the organization, except that trustees may be reimbursed for expenses in the performance of their duties to the organization, in reasonable amounts as approved by majority of the entire board.
- The board of trustees shall make at least four meetings every semester. Secretary shall announce date time and place of meetings to the trustees.
- Only the board of trustees shall have the power to make, alter and repeal by-laws during special meeting. A majority of affirmative three-fourths votes is required to amend the by-laws.
- Except as otherwise provided law may remove with any one or more of the trustees with or without cause by affirmative vote of a majority of the board of trustees entitle to vote in election of trustees.
- The board of trustees, may appoint an executive committee and other committees, each consisting of two or more trustees, and delegate to these committees any of the power of the board which is decided with majority of the entire trustees.
- The founders of this organization shall elect the first board of trustees.

2. SOURCES OF INCOME

- Membership dues as determined by the Board of Trustees.
- Donations of people.
- Supports of other organizations with similar activities.
- Fund raising activities such as bazaars, dinners and entertainment.

3. ORDER OF BUSINESS

1. The Board of trustees meets once in every month.
2. The minutes of last meeting are reported.
3. Old businesses are evaluated.
4. New businesses are planned.
5. Duties of each trustee are determined.
6. All Members of the organization are informed of the transactions by using e-mail.

4. SPECIAL COMMITTEES

The Board of Trustees shall nominate committee chairpersons and committee members. The name of the committees and their duties are given below.
a. Cultural Activities Committee
(i). To organize the representation of Turkish food at the International Awareness Week.
(ii). To organize a presentation of cultural and natural views of Turkey .
b. Sporting Activities Committee
(i). To organize teams to join the sport tournament.
c. Publicity Committee
(i). To announce all activities to all students, faculty and staff.

5. DISSOLUTION OF THE ORGANIZATION

In case of dissolution, all of its assets will be transferred to a non-profit organization having same type of objectives and activities by majority vote of the board of trustees.